Gaps in India`s preparedness to fight chemical terror

New Delhi: There are gaps in India`s preparedness to contain chemical terror attacks including early warning, environment monitoring and infrastructure, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned.

"There are gaps in the risk management framework
including risk and vulnerability assessment, surveillance
mechanism, intelligence gathering and environment monitoring,
detection, characterisation, early warning systems, and safety
and security or chemical agents," NDMA said it in its
Management of Chemical (Terrorism) Disasters guidelines
released here today.

Gaps in education and training at various levels of
first responders and other emergency functionaries have also
come out of a two-year study carried out by a specialist group
headed by Lt Gen (retired) A R Bhardwaj.

Stressing on the need to develop a mechanism to
monitor and perform regulatory checks of stocks as well as
transportation of chemicals, the guidelines said there was an
inherent potential that the chemicals would act as tools for
terrorist activities.